Discussion before scoring

Having interviews as first stage of the assessment process, rather than as a last stage. This could shift the elements that are valued in the assessment process and promote greater diversity.
Level 0
Aim: Diversity
Aim: Inclusivity
Aim: Value process
Aim: Alternative questions
Target: Funder
Target: Academic institution
Target: Scholarly association
Target: Research group
CoARA Commitment 1
CoARA Commitment 2
CoARA Commitment 6
Contributor

Experiments in Assessment WG

Publication date

April 9, 2026

Updated

April 20, 2026

WarningObjectives and potential outcome

This change in assessment process could aim for different objectives, for example:
- Promoting diversity of skills and experiences in the assessment process - Valuing elements that are difficult to perceive in a written application - Assessing specific elements of the process and methods of research - Avoid an overflow of AI-generated applications that fail in the interview stage

Research domains

This may be useful in applications where the role of the candidate or team, and their approach to specific questions is relevant. It may be any research domain, and may be applicable to individual assessment (e.g., hiring, promotion) as well as to funding assessment as long as those are relatively small.

Context and considerations

Challenges and mitigations

Challenge: Having interviews as a first stage process will require time and resources.
Mitigation: Counting enough time and resources for the assessment process is crucial for a successful implementation.

Challenge: This process may induce a non-negligeable bias on how people present themselves and how much people-skills they have.
Mitigation: Having a well defined assessment process with clear and transparent assessment criteria can hel counter such biases. A diverse assessment panel is also helpful in preventing similarity-based biases.

Evaluating success

Relevant resources and literature

This section includes resources, literature, and reports relevant to this specific experimental idea.

Templates from funders and institutions

Case examples and literature

Other resources

Case Studies or Implementation Examples